Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother
by TamariChan
Summary: In which Molly is rash, Lucy is not perfect, Lysander is somewhere in the middle, and Audrey has no idea what's she's doing. Written for the Book Title Challenge at HPFC.


**Disclaimer: The world and characters of Harry Potter belong to J.K. Rowling, not to me. Written for the Book Title Challenge at HPFC, featuring Molly II/Lysander Scamander and the prompts "On Generational Decline" and "Rebellion". It ended up more of a family piece.**

-:-

"When I was your age-" Audrey begins.

Molly shrieks and stamps her foot for the first time in years. "Mum, when you were my age, it was the '90s! Why can't you just accept that times have changed?"

Audrey makes an irritated noise. "That doesn't excuse the fact that you slept with the boy. You've only been dating for two weeks, Molly."

"So what?" Molly shoots back. "I've known him all my life! This isn't your business anyway."

"Of course it's my business," Audrey says. "I'm your mother. It's my job to take care of you, and that includes keeping you safe."

"Take care of me?" Molly yells. "Like you give a damn about me. You just want to save your reputation as the perfect mother." She spins around and storms out of the house, slamming the door behind her and causing it to break off its hinges and hang at an awkward angle.

She turns back to her mother, who has followed distantly, and yells, "I'm going to Lysander's house!" as she Apparates away.

Audrey fixes the door with a whispered "_Reparo" _(and she wishes that everything could be mended so easily).

-:-

Dropping her purse on the stair and kicking off her sandals, Molly steps onto the burning concrete of the Scamander's porch. She knocks before turning to lean against the door.

The door opens and she loses her balance, toppling right onto a pair of very familiar trainers.

"Lysander," Molly says, bending her auburn head back to look at him. He steps back and she pulls herself up, brushing her denim skirt off.

"What are you doing here?" Lysander says, looking her up and down.

Molly fidgets under his gaze. "Had a fight with my mum. Thought I'd come and hang out for a bit," she says, her smile a bit too wide to be real.

"Oh, that's cool." He shifts from one foot to another. "Come on in."

She follows him into the vividly colored house- definitely decorated by Lily's godmother Luna. Not Molly's style at all, to be honest, since she likes a more modern look, with only a bit of color for a focal point, but she won't criticize Lysander's mother in their own house (she was raised right, you know, she talks behind people's backs and not to their face).

"What have you been doing?" she asks, stretching onto the chartreuse couch.

"Not much," he says with a shrug. "What happened with your mum?"

Molly scowls. "James told her about, you know, us being together the other night, and she freaked out."

"You know she's just looking out for you because she loves you," Lysander says, with a pitying look on his face that Molly doesn't like at all.

"Just because your mum is Luna freaking Lovegood and a war hero and the perfect mother doesn't mean everyone's like her," she snaps. "Some people are just selfish!"

"Molly," says Lysander, sighing, but Molly leaps to her feet and storms out of the second house of the day.

-:-

She Apparates to the first place she thinks of (besides her home, where accusing eyes and tsk-tsks and perfect little Lucy await).

Molly stumbles slightly onto the cobblestones of Diagon Alley, but is steadied by a strong hand.

She glances up to thank the person, only to yelp and throw herself at none other than her Uncle George, who looks shocked but happy to see her.

"Molly-girl!" he says. "Come to visit Roxy?"

She pauses for a moment before nodding. "Of course, Uncle George. Is she around?"

He shakes his head. "No, she's out with Will, but she should be back soon. Wait around if you like."

Molly follows George into the shop.

"How's Malfoy?" he asks.

She pauses and tilts her head. "Wha- oh, Scorpius. We broke it off a few weeks ago. I'm with Lysander Scamander now, but we just had a fight, so I don't even know…"

"Going through boys a bit quick, aren't you?" George says. Seeing her scowl, he waves a hand. "Don't get upset, Molly-girl. Your Aunt Ginny was just the same way, and she turned out fine. Aside from marrying that Potter kid."

Molly snorts. "Very funny."

"But seriously," he says as he grabs a few boxes from the stockroom, "don't worry about what Audrey thinks. A little rebellion is healthy- but don't tell her I said that. She already thinks I'm a bad influence."

"Maybe you are," Molly says with a laugh.

-:-

She ignores her mother's attempts to talk to her when she returns home. It's childish and silly and immature but damn it, she wants to be childish and silly and immature, and it's her turn.

Lucy knocks on her door. She knows it's Lucy because her mother would just walk in and her father has a much brisker knock than timid (perfect) Lucy.

"Come in," Molly sighs, putting away her book.

Lucy walks in, tucking her red-orange hair behind her ear and biting her lip. She's nervous, Molly thinks, but about what?

"Did you have fun at the Scamanders?" Lucy says with her eyes locked firmly on the floor.

"Mmm," Molly says. She looks more closely at Lucy. "Did you go running? You look… frazzled."

Lucy's cheeks turn bright red and Molly knows with an awful, plummeting feeling that something is wrong. She gets off her bed and grabs Lucy's shoulder. "Luce?"

"Molly," Lucy says, "I screwed up." She starts to sob in abrupt, hasty breaths.

"Shh, shhh, you're okay. Tell me what's wrong," Molly soothes (and this is wrong, this is so weird, Lucy is perfect and Molly is a mess and the situation should be reversed). She pulls Lucy into a hug and Lucy takes a shuddering breath.

"I'm pregnant," Lucy whispers into Molly's shoulder.

And Molly's heart stops.

-:-

"You're joking." Molly's first reaction is to shake her head wildly, wildly, because Lucy is perfect and wouldn't make a mistake like that. Getting pregnant is a Molly-level mistake, and even she hasn't made that one yet.

"I'm serious," Lucy says, a sob fleeing her throat and tears starting to gush down her face. "I'm so sorry, Molly, I'm so so sorry."

"Wait- why are you sorry?" Molly says. "It's not- just- you'll be fine, Luce, I'll support you-"

Lucy interrupts her. "It's Lysander's."

A long pause.

"Well," Molly says at last, "um. Okay then."

"You're not mad?" Lucy says tearfully.

"Not at you," Molly says, stroking Lucy's hair. "You're my little sister. He's just a boy." And she's not lying, not really.

"Didn't you love him?"

Molly considers. "No- I did, but- it doesn't matter. We should get you to a Healer, make sure you're all right."

"You're such a good sister," Lucy says and leaves to go get dressed.

(Really? Molly wants to say, but she doesn't.)

-:-

"Mum," Molly says, finally speaking to her mother.

Audrey's eyebrows shoot up and her lips twitch, clearly hosting a war between annoyance and elation.

"About time," Audrey starts to say haughtily.

"We're taking Lucy to St. Mungo's." It is not a question.

"Wait- what- why?" Audrey stammers.

Molly grabs her purse and doesn't answer. She has enough of her own secrets to hide to be unable to tell her sister's with a clear conscience.

"Come on," Molly says without glancing back. She meets Lucy, whose eyes are still puffy and red, and they're through the Floo before Audrey says another word.

-:-

Lucy goes in alone to see the Healer, and Molly and Audrey are left frozen to the chairs in the waiting room.

Molly flips through _Witch Weekly_ and does not speak.

She can see her mother fidgeting, trembling, trying to keep it together (in so many ways, Molly and Audrey are alike, which is probably why they can't stand each other).

She slams down the magazine after about ten minutes. "Mum, can't you hold still? Honestly, and you say my generation can't deal with pressure?"

"Pressure?" Audrey jumps to her feet in the empty waiting room. "Is _your_ daughter in the hospital, with your other daughter refusing to tell you anything? I didn't think so- you're a teenager, okay, Molly?- you don't know the first thing about pressure."

"Oh, please, Mum. My generation has had to deal with so much more than yours, it's not even a comparison."

"_Maybe_ that's because you are so irresponsible! I-"

"Excuse me?" The nurse pokes her head out of the room and Audrey freezes.

Molly wants to sneer and say "Where is your perfect mother reputation now?" but it's not a good time.

"Yes?" Molly says when it's clear that her mother can't speak.

"Miss Weasley's all clear to go," the nurse says.

Molly pulls a pale Lucy through the Floo, leaving Audrey standing in the room, again.

(Audrey is always alone.)

-:-

Lucy sits next to Molly on her bed and tells all the baby news.

"-and so they said to check back, and gave me another appointment, but everything's going great!" Lucy's relief soaks into Molly, too.

"That's great," Molly echoes.

"Do you think Mum's mad?" Lucy twists around and buries her face in Molly's shoulder.

"Well, she doesn't exactly know. But when she finds out- honestly, Lucy, what do you expect her to feel?"

Lucy shakes her head against Molly and sighs, her breath hot. "I wish…" she says, her voice muffled, but she never finishes her sentence.

Molly doesn't say anything, either, because there is nothing to say.

-:-

"When I was your age-" Audrey ends (nothing's changed).

Lucy doesn't shriek or stomp her foot. Lucy cries, and Molly pats her arm awkwardly.

"Why must you all _rebel_? What did I do wrong?" their mother says in despair.

Uncle George would probably say that it's the natural order of things, and Lucy would probably say that it's because of Lysander.

Molly thinks, bitterly, that it's all Audrey's fault. But she says instead, "Nothing."

Nothing, nothing, nothing.

And Lucy continues to cry.


End file.
